IanForbes

The risk is about the same as being eaten by a shark while paddling in the shallow water off Pattaya. Of course, the sharks on land are much more dangerous. I have friends who have been visiting Pattaya all winter (for golf of course) for over 15 years and they've yet to run into a case of STD. I certainly haven't in my 15 years of coming here. But then I only come for the temples and the hot spicey food.

I actually took the time to read and digest all that and would have to agree that there are similarities to Thailand. Trying to compare what goes on in rural Thailand to what happens in the various cities is like comparing night and day. That is why we get so many widely oposite answers here on thaivisa.

If you are at all worried then just go to any pharmacy and ask for some antibiotics. Bites are not usually infectious. Claw scratches might be if the cat is a hunter and kills rats and mice.

I would be a little more worried if you were bitten and clawed by my cat... But he doesn't usually leave any remains afterwards.

I don't see why not. I've carried knives all my life and most days when I am in Thailand I have one. You can openly buy switchblade knives in any market center in Thailand. Our paranoid authorities in Canada don't allow switchblade knives. Only thieves, murderers and crooks are allowed to carry weapons in Canada. Oh, and the thugs that pass themselves off as police in Canada.

A bit off topic, but who in the Royal family died? We don't get much Thailand news here in Canada... Just as we don't get ANY Canadian news when i'm in Thailand.

I just found out the answer to my own question by searching on Thai news...

Her Royal Highness Princess Bejaratana passed away

That is a pretty good list, BigJohnnyBKK. Unfortunately, many men won't follow it. It would also be a good list for other countries as well, but most western laws favour the woman and the courts will come after you.

That is true. In my first marriage I paid ALL the bills even though my wife was a registered nurse who could earn more money than me if she wanted to. I also did all the yard work and 90% of the cooking and cleanup. My wife stayed home with the children when they were small, but after the kids went to school she spent the rest of the day "playing ladies" with her friends while I was at work. My second marriage was much the same except I financed my wife on a variety of home businesses that she didn't follow through on, but could have made money and didn't. And, I was expected to supplement the finances of her grown children. Yup, you are correct, Follow who pays the bills in most marriages..

Sounds like a nightmare Ian, how on earth did you get into such an arrangement? - Did she put a gun to your head on pay day and make you hand over the money before throwing you out into the yard or chaining you to the Kitchen sink?

Or did you just roll over and do as you were told?

It wasn't a nightmare, just an average North American marriage, but I was just acting like I was taught to do from the time I was a youngster... You know, the "old fashioned man", the typical scenario where men are big and strong, and take care of women and family scenario. I don't regret either marriage and it was worth the trip.

Ah, just buy one of those sick buffalos from a Thai family that everyone is talking about. You can probably get them for cheap.

There's been an interesting array of replies to the OP's topic. And, with a few exceptions, there is a degree of truth to all the replies depending on the situation. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to relationships. There is every conceivable situation possible. The only people who are flat out wrong are the ones who say that there is ONLY one way.

Thailand is a great place to meet women, and the chances go upwards increasingly when you learn the language. But, learning Thai when your native language is English, is a slow, difficult process. That wouldn't fit into the OP's holiday plans. Thai women are no different than women everywhere... they would prefer an attractive man similar to their own age, and one who has a bit of money to spend on them. However, the smart Thai women have learned that young attractive foreigners do not stay around long enough to be a potential long term partner... so the women often go for second best.. some older guy who has a little jingle and wants to settle down.

I am really a bit surprised over your statements here. I thought you had more insights and experience. "Thai women are no different that women everywhere"! That I would expect from someone who had never been here and never met and experienced Thai women. I am not saying they are different from everywhere else. I have not been everywhere, only Europe, Asia and North America and I can truly say that the ladies here are very different from those in those areas, basically. Anyone from UK and who may noit have been much abroad and comes here, will realize from day 1 that the girls here are different. But it is so much depending on yourself, how you behave, dress and talk. This goes in bars as well as anywhere in Thailand.

The OP needs to come here and see for himself. It has been suggested to skip Koh Samui for other venues and I agree. If you go to Pattaya, remember it is not Thailand! And it is most certainly not like anything in the UK. Keep an open mind and eye and smile and you will have a good time. Do not believe anything someone tells you here and take no notice of the advice given here to not fall in love. It is futile. You WILL fall in love here. Just remember, think with your big head and think twice before doing anything. And most things in Thailand are not what they seem to be.

And I am surprised that you didn't understand what I wrote quite clearly. I'm talking about the basics of what all women want: security, love, and possibly a family. Sexual intercourse comes a distant fourth.

I'm NOT talking about the differences in culture. Yes, there are wide variations in culture that affect everyone. A simple experiment would be to compare Thailand to the Philippines. Both are Asian, but that is where the similarities stop. Thailand is basically a feudal Kingdom under a Buddhist philosophy. The Philippines is a screwed up country made that way by following the normal Catholic hypocritical philosophy.

Arthurwait posted a pretty good synopsis of some causes of excess drinking.

I might disagree somewhat of his view of drinking in bars with working girls.

they get addicted to having their ego stroked by a pretty young girl at the bars and keep going back.

But that is a moot point. It has nothing to do with getting their egos stroked, and more to do with having the company of attractive women rather than miserable women on PMS.

Boredom has a lot to do with people who drink too much. They don't have other interests to look forward to.

I the Bristish case there many people who don't have homes suitable for entertaining, so everyone goes to the local pub to socialize. What do they serve in pubs? Yah, right, booze. The longer you stay in the pub the more you drink... unless you are in a Thai pub where you can play pool or flirt with a pretty girl.

In middle and upper class North America the people have larger homes more suitable for entertaining. There is less motive to binge drinking, unless you are already a drunk.

I've had a few friends in Canada who ruined their lives by smoking and excessive drinking. Most of these guys got bored with married life after a while and had no other interests to occupy their lives. They were party animals when they were younger and they slowly turned into alcoholics with nothing new to excite them.

I won't repeat all of the points that Arthurwait brought up but for every ying there is a yang..

Yep, I truly do have this obsession to alky hol... providing I get an ice cream sundae to go along with it. Oh, and I truly do want the cherry on top.

I think it's all that sun and pretty women that's frying my brain.

I go for anyone who has a business that rely on one time sales not repeat customers.

You mean like the Time Share crooks? How do you know when a Time Share salesman is lying? Answer... When his lips are moving.

However, there are a few old saying that are still valid...

1. If it looks too good to be true then it isn't

2. A sucker and his money are soon parted

3 Those that want something for nothing most often get nothing.

So many old studs on TV, truly amazing!

True. It's where we go to spend the final portion of our lives enjoying ourselves before we can no longer function as a man. Anybody who thinks we have the same options in Europe, Australia or North America has rocks in their heads. The topic reminds me of the jerry Lee Lewis song.. "39 and holding" We get to play act what we enjoyed 40 to 50 years before.

I'm just surprised that more frustrated old farts in the western world haven't joined us.

Never had done the MHS route yet, not sure why. Heading out Monday or tuesday to do it.

Just a quick question. Fuel and hotels ?

Small tank, any problems getting fuel ?

As hotels go. in the under 1000 range but decent that are OK for my wife and I, are there many along the way so no worrys, just start looking at the end of the day ??

It depends on what route you want to take. I prefer the southern route first as it is an easy breakin to the serious hill climbs between Pai and Mae Hong Son.

Fill your gas tank before leaving Chiang Mai. It is just under a 100 km from Chiang Mai to the tiny town of Hot where you turn right (west) towards the mountains. That is the first gas stop. It is a fairly boring ride between Chiang Mai and Hot, but the highway is mostly good with some construction in various locations. And, it does give you a chance to test your bike capabilities. There are a few sections where you can average 90 Kph or more, and a few others where you will slow to a stop in places like Hang Dong. Once you leave Hot the road follows a pretty river valley and slowly climbs into the hills. A big bike shouldn't go much faster than a scooter because you just can't see around the corners... and you NEVER KNOW who might be coming at you in your lane.

From Chiang Mai, It will take about 3 to 4 hours to reach Mae Sariang, which is at the other side of the mountains. From Mae Sariang to Mae Hong Son it is mostly a good, winding highway with not too many fast sections or slow sections. It is a very pleasant ride. It's about 180 km from Mae Sariang to Mae Hong Son. There are many guest cottages and places to eat in Mae Sariang. We've seldom paid more than 400 to 500 baht for a room. However, due to my interests I most often drive another 30 km north to the village of Mae La Noi. I know of a nice guest cottage there that is only 250 baht a night. It also cuts another 30 km off the ride to Mae Hong Son the next day. Although Mae Hong Son has many hotels and guest cottages, it's hard to find one under 500 baht, Many of the hotels want 1000 baht or more... even though many are empty. There is quite a lot to explore if you want to add a few days to your trip and explore the side roads.

It is 240 km from Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai via the northern route, but with all the curves and bends it's hard to make good time. I did it in 3 and a half hours on my 250 D-Tracker but I was trying to go as fast as safely possible. I didn't get off the bike except for one pee break and a gas stop in Pai. My butt was pretty sore when I got back to Chiang Mai. The road climbs over about 4 or 5 mountain passes between Mae Hong Son and Mae Taeng and very often the road follows ridge tops where you can look down into 2 different valleys at the same time.. However, don't trust the hairpin turns. The road is VERY rough on many of the sharp corners and you can go around them as quickly on a scooter as you can on a big bike..

it is about 107 km from Mae Hong Son to Pai and you'll want to make lots of stops to take photos. It is about 100 km from Pai to Mae Taeng where highway 1095 joins hwy 107 and turns south to Chiang Mai. 107 is a very good highway from Chiang Mai to Mae Taeng but it is very busy with transport trucks and more dangerous than it looks.

WATCH OUT FOR GROUPS OF SILVER VANS!! They ARE out to kill you, or at least just run you off the highway. They have NO respect for anyone on a motorbike.

Good luck and enjoy yourself.

Sorry I can't be much help, Anders. I saw one 4 months ago when I was looking for a bike in Chiang Mai, but it was gone when I went back later. I'm now out of the country and won't be back until November.

You can have mine. He's too expensive to feed and has already cleaned up all the neighbourhood's cats and dogs.

Nana Entertainment Plaza :-)

Sent via Plan 9 from out of space by daleks

Thanks, we are presently picking up a few new customers from a different galaxy.

I'm not sure where NEP actually is. However, every time I hear someone say sent from Android I get pictures of a creature from out of space. You know, the ones that come with scary movies.

Everyone gets perceptions depending on where you visit. If you followed me on my more recent trips you would think Thais all lived in Teak wood shacks in the hills close to some river in north west Thailand. My son who is a cabinet maker by trade would drool over some of those teak wood planks.

Somehow I don't believe you here Ian - on my first visit to Thailand Nana was the first place I was taken!

I'm well aware of Nana Plaza. I just didn't know what the "E" meant. Unfortunately, Nana Plaza and the nearby Soi Cowboy are just empty shells of what they were in the 1990s. And, after they jacked up their prices to ridiculous rates, most of the punters moved on to Pattaya. Pattaya seems to be following the same route, as did Phuket. I don't know where the NEW "hot spot" will eventually take over.

Went to NEP for the first time in years, understand where a lot of the ThaiVisa perceptions come from now!

Sent from Android please excuse errors in type or judgement

I'm not sure where NEP actually is. However, every time I hear someone say sent from Android I get pictures of a creature from out of space. You know, the ones that come with scary movies.

Everyone gets perceptions depending on where you visit. If you followed me on my more recent trips you would think Thais all lived in Teak wood shacks in the hills close to some river in north west Thailand. My son who is a cabinet maker by trade would drool over some of those teak wood planks.

I thought you got into trouble for stealing jugs of beer - taking other people's pitchers...?

maybe I misheard

SC

Good one, SC.

I have the same sort of memories, sceadugenga. I remember what should have been a simple two hour bus ride in northern Palawan to the ferry terminal further down the island. It would have been a reasonably comfortable trip until the driver insisted on filling the 12 seating arrangement with his required number of people. The only problem was that 4 of the occupants were HUGE American guys with LARGE bags. The bags went up on the roof but each of the Americans weighed close to 300 pounds and took up space that would normally be filled with 8 Filipinos. That didn't bother the driver though, he just waited until two more passengers arrived. As it turned out the next passengers were a mother carrying a crate of chickens and her two daughters, about 6 or 7 years old. Being a gentleman I let the two kids sit on my knees while the woman held the crate of chickens. By the time we reached the ferry terminal I couldn't move my legs. They had both gone to sleep and other people had to help me out of the bus.

Another time I met a stunningly beautitul women on my last few days in Manilla. I was on my way back to Canada and she was on her way to Japan to act as a hostess. She was so beautiful that I actually approached her just to take photographs. She looked like an exotic model or movie star. I thought she was Spanish or American but she turned out to be a Filipina. Her father was Spanish from Seville and that is where she got her looks. We spent a marvellous two days together and had we not been leaving soon who knows what might have happened between us had we spent a month together. Unfortunately, the camera I had the photos on was stolen before I left Manilla.

Thanks for the information. I can understand why the OP would be worried.

However, I am just paranoid enough to only use my ATM card during business hours. It there is a problem I can get someone in the know to help me. All it takes is a little PRIOR planning. I actually plan ahead what I am going to need BEFORE I travel. I've been to enough ATM machines to know they don't always carry enough cash to make my transaction.

Good post... you with the unpronounceable name. I tend to actually READ what a person says and I pay attention to previous posts. There is a huge difference between being racist and actually understanding reality. Unless of course, if you have a different description of what a racist is.

Follow the money.

Who paid the bill?

That is true. In my first marriage I paid ALL the bills even though my wife was a registered nurse who could earn more money than me if she wanted to. I also did all the yard work and 90% of the cooking and cleanup. My wife stayed home with the children when they were small, but after the kids went to school she spent the rest of the day "playing ladies" with her friends while I was at work. My second marriage was much the same except I financed my wife on a variety of home businesses that she didn't follow through on, but could have made money and didn't. And, I was expected to supplement the finances of her grown children. Yup, you are correct, Follow who pays the bills in most marriages..

Keep the reports coming in and I'll be with you in spirit, if not body. I am convalescing in my living room back in Canada and trying to get over some nasty cold I brought back from Thailand with me. It is sunny outside, but I don't have the energy to go out. I'm parked in front of my TV watching the Masters golf, with the occasional bit of time on the computer. The power outage explains why I didn't get my daily e-mail from my Chiang Mai girlfriend.